Under the 'fruit of the poisonous tree' doctrine, evidence derived from an unlawful search or seizure is generally:

Under the 'fruit of the poisonous tree' doctrine, evidence derived from an unlawful search or seizure is generally:

Options:

1. Always admissible if it is damaging to the defendant
2. Excluded unless an exception like independent source or attenuation applies
3. Admissible only in civil trials
4. Automatically admissible at sentencing

Correct answer: Excluded unless an exception like independent source or attenuation applies

Explanation: The doctrine, articulated in cases like Silverthorne Lumber Co. (1920), means derivative evidence is normally excluded; the exclusionary rule was applied to states in Mapp v. Ohio (1961), subject to recognized exceptions.

Created 2026-03-10T17:15:30.584Z. Updated 2026-03-10T17:15:30.584Z.